the status of the art librarian workforce a survey of professional backgrounds and career choices...

The

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Eamon TewellReference librarian

Sarah Lawrence College

Introduction

ACRL ARTS DISCUSSION FORUM | Eamon Tewell 1

This presentation discusses the results of an international survey of art librarian careers, including:

• Motivation for selecting the profession• Educational background• Current employment• Professional experiences

JANUARY 18,

2012

Research questions


1. Was art librarianship a career goal for most professionals currently in the field?

2. Why do individuals choose a career in art librarianship?

3. What factors contributed to current professionals successfully obtaining a position as an art librarian?

JANUARY 18,

2012

Methodology


Survey: 33 item questionnaire developed and distributed to six email

discussion groups:

[arts-lib] ACRL Arts Section

[arlis-l] Art Libraries Society of North America

[carlis-l] ARLIS/NA Canada

[arlis-norden] ARLIS Nordic

[arlis-link] ARLIS/UK & Ireland

[ifla-art] IFLA Art Library Section

JANUARY 18,

2012

Resul

ts

4ACRL ARTS DISCUSSION FORUM | Eamon Tewell

Results: Demographics


280 valid responses received from across the world

Gender: Females represented 84% of the sample

Age: Relatively even distribution among age groups between 27 and 62

Location: Majority of respondents from the United States (57%) and the United Kingdom (18%)

JANUARY 18,

2012

Results: Respondents by age

ACRL ARTS DISCUSSION FORUM | Eamon Tewell 6JANUARY 18,

2012

Age FrequencyPercentage

18-26 6 2.127-35 63 22.536-44 61 21.845-53 66 23.654-62 69 24.663+ 15 5.4

Total 280 100

Results: Current Employment


Which area best describes your job duties?Generalist: 34%Public Services: 27%Administrative: 16%Other: 13%Technical Services: 8%Digital Services: 3%

In which type of institution are you currently employed?

Academic (58%) followed by Museum and Other

JANUARY 18,

2012

Results: CURRENT EMPLOYMENT Setting


2012

Results: Education


2012

Undergraduate EducationArt History (35%) and Art/Studio Art

(12%) most popular, but many other disciplines represented

Graduate Education57% obtained a second master’s

degree, including:Art History (52%)Art/Studio Art (16%) Architecture (11%)

Results: Career Goals


2012

Top reasons for pursuing the profession:Job Functions (179 respondents) Work Setting (146)

Not reasons for choosing art librarianship:

“Compensation” (40 respondents)“Recommendation from friend or co-

worker” (49)

Results: Selecting the Profession


2012

What factors (either positive or negative) have had the strongest influence on your career choice?

Passion for both art and public serviceDisillusion with a previous career choice Stability of the job

“I needed a career change and felt that my love of art

should be a part of my next career.”

“The library community…is incredibly supportive and

welcoming.”

Results: Career Satisfaction


2012

Do you plan on continuing your career in art libraries?

Yes (79%)Undecided (16%) No (2%)

“I think being an art librarian is the best job in the

world, we certainly don't do it for the money.”

“I would like to continue this career path but due to

lack of jobs in this specific area it seems unlikely.”

Results: contributors to employment


2012

CONCLUSI

ONS

14ACRL ARTS DISCUSSION FORUM | Eamon Tewell

Conclusions


2012

The “typical” art librarian:

Is employed in an academic setting

Has a background in the arts at undergrad or grad level

Selected librarianship due to job duties and work setting

Summing up:

Sincere satisfaction with the profession--only a handful of responses mentioned unappealing aspects such as low compensation and few positions being available

Conclusions: Further Research


2012

Fairly even distribution of art library professionals’ ages

Generational shift taking place?Art libraries only, or all libraries?

Professionals’ thoughts on the future of the field

Increased specialization vs. broad based knowledge frequently mentioned in responses

Further Sources


2012

Esther Green Bierbaum, “Museum, Arts, and Humanities Librarians: Careers, Professional Development, and Continuing Education,” Journal of Education for Library & Information Science 29, no. 2 (Fall 1988): 127-134. Roberto C. Ferrari, “To PhD, or Not to PhD: A Question for Art Librarians,” Art Documentation 26, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 51-55. Ann B. Abid and Henry A. Pisciotta, “ARLIS/NA Salary Survey,” 1990, http://www.arlisna.org/resources/otherpubs/otherpubs_index.html Kathrin Dodds and Heather Ball, “ARLIS/NA 2004 Art/Architecture Librarians and Visual Resource Professionals Compensation Survey” http://www.arlisna.org/pubs/onlinepubs/compensation.pdf

Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @EamonTEWELL

Quest

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